Blackest Night (Vol 1) 4
Synopsis for "Blackest Night" Black rings continue to descend from the heavens and burrow their way down into the Earth, re-awakening the dead all over the planet. In Gotham City, the Black Lantern avatar of Azrael patrols the streets, ripping the hearts out of those he deems unworthy of his salvation. Just about the only citizen who isn't running in fear away from the black cloaked angel of death is the Scarecrow. Fear is his arena and nothing short of the Batman can scare him. Despite Azrael's best attempts, the professor of fright remains an unsavory character of gray non-emotion in the eyes of the undead. In Metropolis, Lex Luthor is busy sealing himself away inside his fortified Sub-Lab Nineteen Bunker filled with weapon technology include his trademark green mech-suit. As the system locks the compound down, former Secret Society teammate Calculator somehow manages to get the number to Luthor's secure line and phones him to let him know that Doctor Polaris has just died. The old Doctor showed up and ripped his heart out of his chest! It's not just the dead heroes who are returning to life anymore, no one is safe. But Luthor already knows this. And the prospect of the legions of people he has killed over the years returning to haunt him is a none too pleasurable one. As far as he's concerned, it's every man for himself and as such. Calculator (along with the rest of the "delusional scabs" who cling to his coattails are going to have to fend for themselves. As he hangs up on the frustrated computer genius, the alarm system sounds a notification. The bunker is completely secure leaving him alone with nothing but his thoughts and a room full of advanced killing machines to keep him company until this whole thing blows over. But just as the heroes back at the Hall of Justice managed to figure out how to defeat the black menace, Hal Jordan disappeared and with him went the mysterious Indigo Lanterns as well! Fused with the body of his dead predecessor, Ronnie Raymond wrests control away long enough to hold the horde back but it's only a temporary delay. So what do you do when you're trapped in a room full of the undead and your best hope for survival just vanished? Well, if you're Ray Palmer you dial 911... and improvise! Re-calibrating his size belt, Atom shrinks himself, Mera and Barry down to microscopic size and glides through the phone lines en route to the 911 dispatching center. From there, Barry and the others go about alerting everyone they can to the menace. Somehow the heroes of Earth must protect the planet until Hal and the other Lanterns can return. Until then, "Right now you tow are Superman and Wonder Woman." Barry explains to his two colleagues. "If I'm Wonder Woman and you're Superman, what's that make him? Mera asks Ray as Barry disappears in a bolt of lightning. "The FLASH." Ray replies. And just like that the two heroes are off on another fiber-optic surfing adventure. This time the destination is one of Mr. Terrific's T-Spheres. Somehow they've got to get a hold of Alan Scott, the only remaining Green Lantern on the planet. Even though Alan's ring functions much differently from that of the Corps', his green light is better than no green light right now. But as they arrive in New York the heroes come to see that things aren't fairing much better. And as the undead JSA-ers close in on the living, one particularly painful family reunion is taking place at ground zero. Damage and Atom Smasher find themselves face to face with the late Al Pratt and it takes some coaching from Ray Palmer but Grant is somehow able to keep his emotions in check during the confrontation. But just as things look like they were about to be getting under control and the fear in Grant's heart was being replaced with hope, a black fist bursts through his chest cavity and snatches out the poor boy's heart! It's Jean Loring, the woman whose murderous rampage marked the beginning of Ray Palmer's darkest hours. No one had seen nor heard from her in quite some time as her body lay floating in the shark infested ocean. But now she's back and for the second time she's somehow managed to turn Ray Palmer's life completely upside down! And what's worse, the ominous voice from the black ring around her finger announces that the black Lantern battery has reached full charge! Meanwhile, Barry Allen has been racing all across the country. From Washington DC to San Francisco, he's alerting every hero possible to try and keep their emotions in check. But as he rounds the bend into Coast City, what he sees stops him dead in his tracks! "Power Levels: 100%" the voice declares and for a split second it looks like Barry's skeleton is about to jump out of his flesh as he skids to a halt outside the Hand Mortuary. There Black Hand stands clutching the skull of Bruce Wayne as he welcomes the arrival of his master Nekron along with Scar and the Black Lantern. Beamed directly from Space Sector 666, the Lantern arrives, obliterating the former Mortuary and rising up into the sky like a black beacon of death. Suddenly the seven million gravesites of Coast City's former residents begin to quake as their corpses rise alongside Nekron. The frightening gray ghost clutches his lantern scythe, the shackles around his neck finally broken and he calls out to Barry, "Barry Allen, You Owe Me Your Life. You ALL Do." Appearing in "Blackest Night" Featured Characters *Barry Allen *Ray Palmer *Mera Supporting Characters *Wally West *Jason Rusch *Justice Society of America *Alan Scott *Jay Garrick *Ted Grant *Mister Terrific *Power Girl *Stargirl *Rick Tyler *Sanderson Hawkins *Atom Smasher *Damage (Dies in This Issue) *Citizen Steel *Tom Bronson *Titans *Cyborg *Beast Boy *Donna Troy *Starfire *Teen Titans *Kid Flash *Wonder Girl *Dove (Dawn Granger) *Wonder Woman *Lex Luthor *Scarecrow Villains *Black Lantern Corps *Nekron *Black Hand *Scar *The Martian Manhunter *Aquaman (Arthur Curry) *Firestorm (Ronnie Raymond) *Elongated Man (Turned to Ash) *Sue Dibny (Turned to Ash) *Hawkman (Carter Hall) *Hawkgirl (Kendra Saunders) *Maxwell Lord *Alexander Luthor Jr. *Dr. Arthur Light *Ash *Saarek *Azrael (Jean-Paul Valley) *Doctor Fate (Kent Nelson) *Sandman (Wesley Dodds) *Doctor Mid-Nite (Charles McNider) *Mister Terrific (Terry Sloane) *The Atom (Al Pratt) *Black Canary (Dinah Drake Lance) *Jean Loring *Killer Frost *Black Condor *Human Bomb *Phantom Lady (Dee Tyler) *Gambler *Fiddler *Cavalier *Copperhead *Enforcer *The Unknown Soldier *Madame Rouge *The Weasel *Bug-Eyed Bandit *Brain Wave *Black Bison *Baron Blitzkrieg Other Characters *Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) *Black Canary (Dinah Laurel Lance) *Calculator *Guardians of the Universe Locations *Space Sector 0666 *Ryut *Space Sector 2814 *New York City *Manhattan *Gotham City *Metropolis *Coast City *Washington, D.C. *Hall of Justice Items *Green Lantern Power Ring *Black Lantern Power Ring *Black Lantern Central Power Battery *Book of the Black *T-Spheres *Lex Luthor's Warsuit Vehicles *None Known Notes *The back of this issue also contains a special preview to Batman/Doc Savage Special #1. *This issue also included a special section entitled "The Book of the Black: The Burned in Thoughts of William Hand, Chapter One, Verse Three" (written by Geoff Johns, Designed by Steve Wands). Returning to Coast City and the Hand Mortuary is like coming home for Black Hand. Not because it is the site where he grew up, but because of all the pleasant memories he had while growing up, embalming those that had passed. He reflects not on the pleasant sun-filled beach holidays of his youth, but on death and unhappiness of those who would come to rest in his family's cemetery grounds. *But this place will now be significant for a different reason. It will be known for the birth of Nekron. And the city once renowned for their will-power will be nothing more than a celebratory feast for Black Hand's dark lord. Trivia *Coming Soon Links *http://www.dccomics.com/dcu/comics/?cm=13172 *http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Blackest_Night_Vol_1_4 *http://www.comicvine.com/blackest-night-/37-179009/ Category:Blackest Night (Volume 1)